Postdoc position in automatic tracking of individual free range use in laying hens (1.0 FTE)

For the European Core Organic project 'FreeBirds', we are looking for a motivated Postdoc to investigate behaviour and welfare of organic laying hens. This research project is conducted in close collaboration between Utrecht University in The Netherlands and the ILVO in Ghent, Belgium. At the ILVO, we will make use of a unique research facility that allows automatic monitoring of free range use of individual laying hens, using ultra-wideband RFID tracking. Half of the birds comes from a conventional rearing system, while the other half was reared with access to dark brooders (artificial mothers). The effects of these dark brooders on behaviour and welfare will be investigated as well. Additionally, half of the free range of each group is planted with short-rotation coppice willows and the other half with small hazelnut trees. Differences in free range use between both types of tree cover will be investigated as well.

The main tasks of the Postdoc are:

monitor free range laying hens and investigate how free range use influences behaviour and welfare of individual laying hens (fearfulness, plumage condition and keel bone damage); investigate whether and how dark brooders affect behaviour, welfare and free range use; investigate how free range cover affects use of the free range (short rotation coppice versus hazelnut areas); investigate the role of age of the hens, time of day and weather conditions on free range use in laying hens; investigate the relationships between free range use and parasites and nutrients in the soil; take a coordinating role in the execution of the research and the data collection, process and analyse the data and describe the results in at least two peer-reviewed scientific journals.